¶ … Ethics and Legalities of Medication Error Disclosure As Philipsen and Soeken (2011) note, it is the nurse's duty and ethical responsibility to inform the patient of any medical error in treatment, even if the error is "insignificant." The patient still has a right to know, as do all individuals who are impacted by the error (staff as well). This allows the medical community to remain transparent, which is a foundation of trust in the staff-patient relationship. Thus, the ethical implications of disclosure and non-disclosure are clear: to not disclose a medical error is to act unethically and without the transparency and loyalty that is owed the patient as well as the members of the staff. The legal implications of disclosure vs. non-disclosure are also clear. The severity of the error is what is most likely to affect the outcome if the error becomes known and there was no disclosure made initially. However, it is also the case that legal action is less likely to be pursued if disclosure is immediate and the severity of the error is not significant (Edwin, 2010). Indeed, Kentucky law states that each case shall be evaluated on a case by case basis, implying that there is some...
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